In a recent post about sailing trailersailers to big destinations, I mentioned the MORC certification of my little trailersailer, Dragonfly in the context of being good to go on long range trips. I got some pushback on the significance of that rating. I don't think the pushback was at all inappropriate. My comments may have been a bit cavalier. I know, big surprise! Anyhow, I thought, rather than get into a back and forth about it on a thread about trailersailer bucket list destinations, it was a good subject to start a new thread on.
So, my response is below and you can checkout the original exchange on my thread "Bucket List" https://forums.sailboatowners.com/index.php?threads/bucket-list.195037/page-3#post-1527157
The purpose of the club and its certification, as much as my research has lead me to believe, is to participate in and promote ocean racing for boats under 30'. I'm not referring to ocean crossing or even an "ocean" rating, but to competitive sailing off-shore, as opposed to the bay. The MORC plate on Dragonfly that documents the design's certification, says, as you point out, nothing about oceans except in the name of the organization. If my statements could mislead someone to believe their MORC certification made their boat fit for ocean crossing, I am truly sorry. The only thing that can make any boat fit for ocean crossing is the sailor. However, there is also a difference between a sailboat that is self-ballasted and one that is crew ballasted. Many small boats are crew-ballasted and some self-ballasted boats don't have their CoG low enough to recover from a knock-down. I wouldn't think any boats in these two groups would qualify for a MORC certification.
I sent an email off to MORC a while back. Their website looks like someone was trying to revive the organization, but no response. I believe MORC is no more.
So what's your take on small boats that are "ocean" ready and is there a size limit?
-Will (Dragonfly)
So, my response is below and you can checkout the original exchange on my thread "Bucket List" https://forums.sailboatowners.com/index.php?threads/bucket-list.195037/page-3#post-1527157
That's not exactly what I was trying to say. The Midget Ocean Racing Club certified boats for self-righting. As you have pointed out in the past. There are almost no (if any) sailboats that are truly self-righting beyond a certain point of heel.It for sure does not mean that any boat that gets a certification is 'ocean rated'. Thats a silly and dangerous line of thought.
The purpose of the club and its certification, as much as my research has lead me to believe, is to participate in and promote ocean racing for boats under 30'. I'm not referring to ocean crossing or even an "ocean" rating, but to competitive sailing off-shore, as opposed to the bay. The MORC plate on Dragonfly that documents the design's certification, says, as you point out, nothing about oceans except in the name of the organization. If my statements could mislead someone to believe their MORC certification made their boat fit for ocean crossing, I am truly sorry. The only thing that can make any boat fit for ocean crossing is the sailor. However, there is also a difference between a sailboat that is self-ballasted and one that is crew ballasted. Many small boats are crew-ballasted and some self-ballasted boats don't have their CoG low enough to recover from a knock-down. I wouldn't think any boats in these two groups would qualify for a MORC certification.
I sent an email off to MORC a while back. Their website looks like someone was trying to revive the organization, but no response. I believe MORC is no more.
So what's your take on small boats that are "ocean" ready and is there a size limit?
-Will (Dragonfly)